Breaking the Circle
by VereorFaux
Summary: What are fairy tales without dragons? When the big bad wolves and the ravens do fear the outside as much as the humans do, it appears, and with it, there is death. Only one can stop this, but while the dragon chooses adversary, something goes wrong. Someone defies it.
1. The Dragon Named Grigori

Chapter 1 - A Dragon Named Grigori

* * *

Ruby felt sick and not because she took the lunch break in between classes to eat two bags of cookies she took with her. No, that was one bag less than usual! There was something strange and the more she tried to pinpoint just what exactly it was, the dizzier she felt.

She was holding a hand over her mouth, trying to concentrate on the class she was sitting in just a little bit more than hearing every third word coming out of her teacher's mouth. She didn't actually find the topic _boring_ , but Mr. Zaffre just knew how to make listening tedious. They knew the topics well enough already, they had hunted more than enough Beowolves with the more practical teachers.

Her classmates looked a lot more attentive than she was, staring straight ahead and not noticing her discomfort.

"Ruby," Mr. Zaffre said suddenly. "If you would be so kind to tell me at least one fact about Beowolves, I would know you are paying attention."

"Yes!" she said, staring at the projected picture on the wall and saying the first thing that came to her mind. "Beowolves hunt in packs, sir?"

"Going for the low hanging fruit?" He smiled. She shrugged, trying to laugh with the few that started to chuckle. "But it's not wrong. It's incredibly rare to see Grimm alone, but it's rarer still to find a Beowulf without others nearby. Despite their low position on the food chain, they can be dangerous in numbers."

Yes! Class mastered! Not even her teachers could deny her genius!

It didn't take long for the bell to ring, and Ruby was the first one up, jumping out of her seat to hurry before the hallways were filled with students. Quickly gathering up her stuff and turned to leave. She had something to do today, after all, and the fresh air might help giving her some relief from the sickness.

"Don't forget to finish the essay! I'm not going to let you pass unless you can handle a pen as well as a weapon," Mr. Zaffre called, and Ruby looked away when she slung the bag over her shoulder, but she wasn't quick enough, nor subtle. "Yes, Ruby Rose, I can see you're pretending not to see me." He singled her out. "If you had started when I gave you the homework, you would probably have been done by now."

"Rats." She turned back to him, defeated, her shoulders slumping. "Of course, sir. I didn't forget what we were supposed to write about, could you tell me so I know you remember?"

The bookish blue-haired teacher sighed and gave her a strained smile.

"How was the war between the four kingdoms affected by Grimm abusing the spread out defenses of the kingdoms," he said. "That's your task now."

Ruby had the feeling that the actual task wasn't as complicated and he was doing it to spite her. It wasn't her fault she was up all night most of the week talking to Yang, it was the birthday's fault. She should've been two years older so she could be in Beacon with her sister, but noooo.

Darn.

"Okay." Ruby's shoulders sagged. Uncle Qrow was never this serious about school work. Why can't she have him as a teacher everywhere? "Bye guys!"

Ruby turned around, waving towards her classmates and rushing out of class with a smile rather than the annoyance at being forced to write the essay. She might have used just a _little_ bit of her Semblance used to reach the teacher's lounge more quickly. Only seconds later, which she took to pace up and down the hallway, the door opened and revealed her father.

"Dad! Let's go grab something for dinner!"

"Sorry Ruby," Dad said. "Something came up."

"You promised!" Ruby wailed, going to her knees, looking up at him with wide eyes. On any other day, this sight might have worked to change his mind, but he shook his head. "Pleaaaase. It's so lonely since Yang is gone."

"You can hang out with your friends, can't you?" he said, smiling. "The teachers need to discuss something important, I'll explain later."

"But Daaaad-"

"Ruby."

He wasn't usually this serious. Ruby knew she couldn't convince him now.

"You owe me cookies," she said.

"Okay."

"Two bags full!"

"Okay."

"Three bag-"

"No."

"Was worth a try." She grinned and so did he. "Bye, Dad."

He waved when she left, walking towards the closest classroom and calling for the teacher. Of course she was curious about whatever was going on, but it's not like she could hide and listen in, right? Right. She tried that once.

Ruby sighed, leaving towards the dorms.

* * *

"YAAAAAAAANG!" Ruby shouted at the screen, her sister's face staring back at her, smiling. Ruby noted that there was something strange about that smile, it wasn't quite genuine. Not the usually confident and happy smile that Yang had. "Is… something the matter?"

"Not really," Yang said. "Things around here are a bit hectic lately."

"Why? You said everything was alright when I called yesterday," Ruby said. "Did something happen?"

"Not sure how much I can say. You know we don't actually know about all kinds of Grimm at the moment, right?" Yang asked. Ruby nodded. She didn't really know that, but she assumed as much. "We don't exactly know where they come from and all that, but you know the horror story parents told their kids when they wouldn't behave? About the king of all Grimm who would get them in their sleep?"

"Uh… no?" Ruby tried. She couldn't recall anything of the sort.

"I suppose not, you were younger than me, I don't get how information on this keeps getting lost," Yang said. "The people say the king of all Grimm actually exists, and the teachers aren't the kind of people to joke about this."

"What would that mean, exactly?"

"Beacon is temporarily closing," Yang said. "All available hunters and huntresses are going to meet here when they're not patrolling the border."

"Does that mean you're coming home?" Ruby asked, jumping up in her chair like an excited puppy.

"Seems like it."

"Yessssss!" Ruby shouted, jumping around in the room. "We're going to have so much fun together! Do you think they will close Signal too?"

"Most teachers are experienced hunters, right? So it looks like we'll have a week without school," Yang grinned.

"YES!"

The fact that Yang was so serious about the king Grimm was forgotten quickly. Ruby was already working on plans on what to do when Yang is home.

* * *

Ruby stood outside with the other students, staring at the large airship that landed in the large open space near the main building. Her father stood there, greeting a man that stepped out before turning towards her.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," he said. "It seems like I'll have to make a short trip to Beacon for a week, but your uncle is going to stay here at take care of the school in the meantime."

"I know," Ruby said, recalling her sister's words. "Yang told me."

"She did?" her Dad's eyes widened. "What exactly did she tell you?"

"Beacon's going to close down for a week like Signal and she's going to come home for that time," Ruby said, bouncing slightly. Taiyang sighed, though she didn't know if it was in relief or annoyance.

"At least you have someone here besides Qrow then." He patted her head. She smiled up at him. "Goodbye, Ruby."

"Bye, Dad!"

The crowd of students said their goodbyes to the teachers.

* * *

Ruby stood there, pacing slightly. It has been a whole day since most of the teachers left, only her uncle Qrow and three others she didn't have any classes with remained. Ms. Russet, Mr. Forrest and Mr. Arbust. She knew they these three were a team with one of the teachers that left, Ms. Myosotis.

So there wasn't any school for a week. Yay!

She didn't know when Yang would arrive though. Not yay.

So she did the mature thing. She paced up and down in her room, looking towards the sky every few seconds to check if any ships were arriving.

No luck. Just like the past sixty attempts to spy her sister.

Regrettably, realizing that the sun has begun to set, Ruby got ready for bed.

* * *

Ruby woke up to the sound of engines. Without even thinking, she jumped out of her bed and grabbed her clothes, dressing as quickly as she could before realizing that she really had to take a shower. Hurrying to do that, and definitely not abusing her Semblance to finish quicker, she rushed out to watch the airship land just a second afterwards.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!"

The doors opened, revealing a bunch of people she recognized from years above her before they graduated. No Yang in sight. Ruby lowered her head, staring at the ground.

"Ruby~"

Her head snapped back up, her eyes starting to shine. "YANG!"

"RUBY!"

"YAAAANG!"

Something tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi Ruby."

She turned around, seeing her sister stand there. "YA-"

"Way too much shouting for the morning," Yang smiled, grabbing her sister in a big hug and lifting her up.

"Sorry," Ruby whispered into her sister's shoulder.

Ruby was all but hanging on the arm of her sister as Yang walked to the dorms, greeting everyone.

"And and and, did'ya miss me? Say you missed me!"

"We talked every day," Yang said. Ruby moaned. "Of course I missed you."

"I missed you too!" Ruby said, squeezing her sister's arm tighter. The dorms weren't really something to note. There wasn't much of a distance between the boys' and girls' dorms, and the teachers trusted the students enough not to do anything stupid. They also trusted the girls' abilities enough to kick out any people sneaking in at night, though during the day, nobody minded people going in and out.

There was a large common room, if you could call it that, while the rooms were further up. Yang, with Ruby on her, were almost at the stairs before someone called.

"Hey Yang! Cian said he could take you on now!" the voice shouted. It was a boy from Ruby's class, though she couldn't quite place a name to his face.

"He can try!" Yang said, spinning around on her heels. Ruby let go, walking with her sister towards a blue-haired guy, a year older than Ruby. "Hey, little boy, still picking fights with the big leagues?"

"Shut up, I trained the entire time while you were sitting on your ass in Beacon," Cian grinned confidently. "Don't go home crying when you lose, eh?"

"You're on," she said, sitting down near a table.

"Arm-wrestling?" Ruby asked. Yang was more the kind of person to solve things with fists, but the boy didn't hesitate, sitting across her and taking her hand in his, the elbow on the table. "This is what you were doing when you were out at night?"

"Not always," Yang grinned. The boy immediately started, but Yang didn't budge. "You think I wasn't training too, hm?"

Yang didn't even make another sound before smashing Cian's hand in the table, smashing it apart.

"And the champion remains, Yang!" Yang shouted while Cian was nursing his arm, a high-pitched sound escaping his throat.

Ruby took the seat when Cian left.

"Hey," she began, looking at her older sister. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

Ruby might not be the smartest student, but she didn't need to be smart to understand that her sister was not feeling well.

Yang leaned into the chair, sagging into it slightly. "I'm… worried."

"About what?"

"The Grigori," Yang explained. "You remember what I told you? The king of all Grimm?"

"You mean like that fairy tale they told kids?" someone nearby chimed in. "The king of all Grimm will take the kids that wander in the forest?"

"Or if they didn't behave, or if they didn't do this and that, yeah," Yang confirmed. "It's real, apparently. And it's been sighted."

The guy who called her before, the one whose name Ruby couldn't remember, laughed.

"Really? Why isn't it all over the news then?"

"Because it would cause fear, and fear…"

"Draws the Grimm," Ruby finished. "The hunters are gathering in Beacon to talk about this, right?"

"You also believe that story?" the guy said. "Really?"

"I believe my sister," Ruby told him. "And she heard it at Beacon. I don't think it's a lie."

"Yeah, right," he shrugged. "What's it gonna do? Swoop in and eat us for not brushing our teeth?"

"First of all, ew," Yang said. "Teeth decay, serious issue. Second of all, no. It doesn't eat you, it… uh, eats your heart, or something."

The guy laughed again, but others joined him.

"Yeah yeah, you don't need to believe me, just don't blame me if…"

The earth shook violently making students scream and scramble across the ground under tables. Yang wasn't, though. She immediately rushed outside, ignoring the shaking earth as much as she was possible, and Ruby followed.

Ash was raining down from the sky, and there was a large fire a considerable distance away from Signal.

The shaking of the earth stopped, and returned, softer, rhythmic.

Like steps. Her Uncle Qrow and the other three teachers appeared outside too, staring towards the fire before rushing into its direction, Qrow pulling out a phone. Yang apparently didn't want to wait and followed too.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby said, running after her. She could see other students with their weapons drawn, following after the teachers as well.

"Come on!" Yang shouted. "No need to be worried, right? We got everyone together."

Ruby couldn't disagree. Also, she could finally use her scythe on some Grimm for the first time in forever! The question how anything so dangerous to create such an earthquake could even arrive here without any prior alarm or it being stopped by the defenses was on her mind, but she didn't voice it.

The shaking of the earth got louder, stronger.

And then there was a scream. Loud, violent, like the scream of an animal in pain. And then _fire_.

Qrow and two other teachers dodged out of the way, while Ms. Russet created a barrier, large and adorned with plants of all kinds, blocking most of the flames that flickered above their heads, burning trees.

Ruby felt cold sweat go down her neck. She could feel it now, as could everyone else. Whatever this was, it was big, and it had an aura.

It didn't quite make sense.

Why. Why does this have an aura? It shouldn't!

The scream came back, but not accompanied by flames this time. The brown haired teacher turned around, shouting at her students.

"Leave! Go back to the school!"

"Why, Ms. Russet?" a student shouted back.

"You can't help here, you will be in the way!"

The shaking got stronger and it appeared, rushing through the trees and ripping them out.

Twice as large as a Nevermore. It was a dragon. A feeling of dread washed over everyone, up to their throats, making it hard to breathe. The dragon's eyes were blank and white, while its upper face was enclosed in a dark mask with red symbols. The scales were red, and on its chest there was a dark mark.

It reared its back, about to spit fire again as sparks gathered on its tongue, the mouth opening wide to reveal a large set of incredibly spiky teeth.

But Qrow appeared, his own weapon, a scythe not unlike Ruby's, grabbing onto the beast's neck and spinning around, forcing its aim far above the students. Most of them didn't hesitate, listening to the teacher and running.

Not Yang, though. She wasn't quite shaking, but her fists clenched and glaring at the dragon. And Ruby wouldn't leave without her sister.

The dragon lifted a hand, more human than she would have expected, and a light gathered. It reminded her of Dust. Then he crushed it.

A tornado appeared, right where they stood, sending Yang and Ruby into the sky. It was dark, ripping out trees as well and forcing them to dodge. "Ruby!"

Ruby glanced at her sister, and reached out with Crescent Rose. Yang grabbed it, spinning around and sending Ruby away from the tornado.

"Wheeee-" Ruby's descent was cut short as Qrow appeared, grabbing her and dragging her away. The tornado left after a while, and Yang landed next to them.

"Leave. Now." Qrow said through clenched teeth. He had a large gash on his arm, though it wasn't really bleeding.

"No, we can fight, you taught us to-"

"I didn't teach you to fight where you can't win!"

The dragon's roar stopped the discussion and Yang caught a glimpse of one of her former teachers flying through the air as if swathed like a fly, smashing against a tree and lying limply on the ground after landing.

Qrow didn't discuss further. With a leap, he landed on the dragon, trying to ram his scythe into its eye in between the slits of the mask. It didn't work, the tip of the weapon reflecting off a soft white shield.

Instead, the dragon attempted to grab him, but Qrow dodged. A large movement of the gigantic wings. Wind sent him flying backwards, and he jumped off a tree towards the dragon again.

"This… this is Grigori?" Yang asked. "This…"

She was shaking now. Quite clearly. The longer the sight of the dragon was, the more Ruby could feel her confidence draining.

The dragon concentrated on them now. Ruby immediately jumped backwards, but Yang didn't, frozen where she stood. Its hand came down, its claws about to rip into Yang.

"YANG!"

Ruby and Qrow shouted at the same time, their uncle blocking the attack and ending up on the ground, crushed under the weight of the dragon.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang shouted. Sparks flickered on the dragon's tongue again, about to burn Qrow to ashes. This time she wasn't hesitating, rearing her fist back and jumping forward, punching the dragon's mask.

The sparks stopped, and Yang was now under the dragon's other hand, grabbed out of the air and smashed into the ground.

The two teachers that were still conscious attacked, but it was futile. Their attacks couldn't pierce its hide.

Ignoring them, it lifted its hand off the now unconscious Yang and made a… not a fist. It was lifting up its index finger, slowly bringing down the claw towards Yang.

Ruby reacted faster as the dragon was saying something in a tongue couldn't understand. Using her Semblance, she sped up, and kicked Yang out of the way, apologizing silently as the claw touched her chest after taking her older sister's place.

The world turned red. The sky above her was blocked out for seconds as she could see the dragon lifting up something at the tip of its claws.

"Ah," it said. "So it is like this."

The red curtain came down, splattering on her. She could hear her uncle Qrow, quite a distance away, but the dragon's voice, now understable, drowned him out.

"Take up arms, falsely Arisen, for my kind do not heed the toothless. I shall await you."

The fluttering of wings was growing weaker.

* * *

Introduced today:

William (Bill) Arbust - Dark Green

Fiore Myosotis - Blue

Brecht Forrest - Bright Green

Narra Russet - Brown

WFBN (Wulfbane)


	2. Politics

Chapter 2.

Ruby awakened, bathed in sweat and checking herself all over. Besides the change in clothes, she wasn't actually any worse for wear, making her doubt the prior events.

She was lying in her bed in the dorms, and Yang sat on a chair next to her bed, dozing off. Deciding against waking her sister, Ruby slowly left the bed and sneaked towards her wardrobe, looking for something to change into. Considering she had seven of the same outfit, one for each day of the week, it wasn't that hard choosing.

Fashion really wasn't her forte. But she liked what she had, so there was no reason to complain! Grabbing the clothes out of the wardrobe and putting them on the table, she began the ninja-like attempt at changing as quietly as possible.

That attempt failed miserably when she removed the white shirt given to her, and a gasp of pain escaped her mouth. Tightness in her chest, making her keel over and grab the spot it hurt. It was raw, strange…

She looked down.

A scar, from her collarbone drawn down towards her stomach. The scar ached, but other than that, looked pretty healed. Now she was sure, though. It wasn't just a dream.

The thing with the dragon had actually happened.

Unfortunately, her loud attempt of getting dressed ended up waking up her sister.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, almost tackling her before stopping herself, seeing the scar as well. "Is.. are you alright?"

"Was I in a coma?" Ruby asked suspiciously. A wound like that wouldn't just heal.

"No?" Yang asked, a perplexed look on her face.

Ruby sighed in relief before grabbing her sister in a hug, careful about the painful scar.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Ruby said. Yang made a small sound, patting her sister on the head. "It looked like it had you."

"Uncle Qrow told me about what happened," Yang said. "That was reckless! _Really_ reckless! You almost got killed-"

"Buuut, you're okay!" Ruby said, her voice a bit strained. "And I'm too, so it's okay! Right?"

Yang stared at her sister for a bit before sighing and nodding.

"Also, all great heroes have scars, right?"

"Sure thing, hero." Yang smiled. "How about you get dressed first? We've got to tell Uncle Qrow you're awake."

"Sure." Ruby paused. "Uh, Yang?"

"Yes?"

"Can you help? It actually really hurts to move," Ruby admitted, trying to laugh, ending with a small cough instead. The tightness in her chest wasn't leaving any time soon. Yang didn't say anything, and picked the clothes up instead. "Thanks."

* * *

The atmosphere was strange. Ruby wouldn't really call herself very observant. Her uncle often said she could be like her father in that regard, and that wasn't bad at all in her mind. But when she and her sister stepped out of the dorm room and down towards the common room, she found most of the students keeping to themselves, barely any conversation going on.

Yang didn't comment on it, taking the lead towards the exit, so Ruby didn't say anything either. When she waved towards her friends, she received but a small wave in return.

The sun was a bit harsh on her eyes at first when they stepped out, and Yang walked straight towards the main building.

"Are you alright?" Yang asked, slowing down slightly after they left. "Pain when you walk?"

"A bit," Ruby said, "but I'm worried."

"About what?"

"About the others," Ruby said. "I was _really_ afraid when I saw the dragon, they still seem really down while I don't, though."

"It's not about the dragon," Yang said. "Not just about it, I mean. There's... "

"Yes?" Ruby asked. Yang hesitated, she could see. And the more she wanted to hide it, the easier it was for Ruby to read her sister. "Come on, I can just ask any of them instead, so just tell me."

"Mr. Forrest died," Yang said. "The dragon killed him."

Ruby stopped, almost falling over her own feet at the sudden pain that stabbed through her chest. "He died?"

She saw him. Lying on the ground after the dragon threw him against the tree. He… was he dead by then? Ruby swallowed, suddenly not really feeling like a hero anymore. She had saved her sister but couldn't even move to save a teacher?

"The funeral is supposed to be as soon as possible," Yang said, turning towards the forest where the fight happened before turning to her younger sister. "Maybe even today. There's so much to do, people that want to meet you."

"For what?" Ruby asked, not meeting her sister's eyes. "Who wants to meet me, I mean?"

"Headmaster Ozpin from Beacon," Yang said. "He's coming with Dad, I think my team might also come with them."

"But _why_?" Ruby asked again.

"I don't know," Yang said. There was a disconcerting silence for a moment, and Ruby balled two fists, her nails pressing into her palms before she stepped forward, taking the lead this time. "Ruby?"

"Let's meet them then," the younger sister said. "And help with the funeral. It's the least we can do."

"Yeah," Yang nodded. They entered the building, moving towards the headmaster's office, just past the secretary's office on the first floor.

Ruby knocked on the door, and a second later she heard a muffled 'Come in'. Opening the door, she did just that, with Yang walking up behind her.

There was a rather large projection in the middle of the room, the headmistress and Uncle Qrow standing behind it near the desk. She didn't recognize the person in the middle, but she could recognize her father standing behind him.

"Hi Dad!" Ruby said, waving. Her father's eyes snapped towards her, and he immediately and rather rudely pushed the man in the middle away.

"Ruby! Are you okay-"

"Dad! Did you just push Headmaster Ozpin out of the way?" Yang asked. Ruby blinked, looking at the projection as the man from before slowly stood up, apparently not bothered by the sudden shove.

"It's good to see you are well, Yang," Ozpin said, putting a hand on Taiyang's shoulder. "And you must be Ruby, thank you for joining us, we will meet in a few hours in person, but I think it would be better to get this out of the way now."

"Get what out of the way exactly?" Yang asked, stopping Ozpin from continuing.

"Yang," Headmistress Palila stepped up. She was a short woman in a bright suit, adorned with darker purple around. Ruby knew that Yang and the headmistress were rather familiar with each other, considering the more or less constant presence of Yang in this office. "Please let him speak."

"I'll get straight to the point, then," Ozpin said. "The dragon, the Grigori as it is known, chose you. It isn't as much of an honor as it is a promise."

"A promise for what?" Ruby asked. Taiyang took a step back, letting Ozpin stand in front of the camera again.

"It promised you that he will cease this destruction, and in return you had to promise it that you will hunt it down," Ozpin said. "Admittedly, we aren't that sure on the exact details…"

"But I didn't promise it anything!"

"You fought it," Ozpin said. "Or, if what Qrow said is true, you fought against its decision. It wanted to take Yang, and you pushed her out of the way. We don't know _why_ the Girgori is doing this, though."

"And what if I don't want to fight it?" Ruby asked. "I couldn't scratch it! Even Uncle Qrow couldn't!"

"I couldn't because I wasn't chosen," Uncle Qrow said from behind the projection, stepping forward as well. "It's not really 'chosen', there's a chance you're not the only one, but unless you got this," he tapped his chest. "You can't scratch the dragon."

"This…" Ruby's hand moved to the scar.

"Besides that…" Ozpin began again. "There is another important part of the Dragon's MO, to curse those that refuse to hunt it. Qrow?"

Her uncle moved up to her and took her hands. She looked at him confused while he nodded at her.

"Feel your pulse," he said, slowly putting her fingers over her wrist, where one should be able to feel it easily. She didn't know why exactly he had to do that instead of just telling her to, but didn't inquire further.

Ruby blinked, a slight sense of panic coming over her.

"It's… not there?"

"What do you mean 'it's not there'?" Yang asked, taking Ruby's arm and trying it herself. "Uncle Qrow?"

"That scar isn't just a scratch," Ozpin said, Taiyang's face in the back growing increasingly dark. "It's a symbol that binds you to the dragon, and of what he did to you."

"What did he do?" Ruby asked. "I can't remember anything, I was there, under the claw and suddenly everything was red…"

"Your heart, kid," Qrow said. "It took your heart."

"I'm… I'm a _zombie_?" Ruby asked. "I'm not going to eat brains any time soon, am I?"

"Nope," was her uncle's curt answer.

"I'm… I'm okay, right?" she asked again, for confirmation. "I'm…"

"You will feel it in the marrow of your bones," Ozpin said, apparently quoting from a book he held in his hands. "And 'lo, it matters aught, for as long as the wyrm draws breath, you shall too, and as long as the wyrm holds your heart, you shall not hear its beat."

"It doesn't help if you're all cryptic," Uncle Qrow muttered. "Long story short, you won't die unless the dragon dies. Won't grow old, that is. Not really a bad deal, if I say so myself, but I suppose that has its own disadvantages."

Like watching everyone you love grow old, Ruby thought. And she would stay young forever.

"We are going to arrive in a while," Ozpin said. "And we are going to take you to Beacon. If you have any preparations you need to finish until then, please do. There is no time to waste."

Ruby wanted to ask 'why', but she thought she wouldn't understand anyway. The entire situation was way above what she was used to. Way above that. Yang was still trying to find a pulse where there was none and Ozpin left, leaving Taiyang alone.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Dad said. Ruby smiled at him. "I can't go with you to Beacon, though, we need all teachers available at their schools. We would have missed a week, but the dragon apparently decided to make its move quicker than expected."

"I get that." Ruby nodded. "We will see each other before then, though! Let's…"

There was no time, Ruby thought. She couldn't even get him to spend some time with her and Yang considering what Ozpin said.

"Let's…" she muttered. "Let's prepare the funeral for Mr. Forrest first."

Headmistress Palila nodded, as did her dad. Yang lifted her hand up to Ruby's neck.

"Yang," Ruby said, still not really bothered by her sister's overreaction. "It's alright, I'm okay."

"No you're not!" Yang said. "Why did you do that, you didn't have to get me out of the way!"

"Because you're my only sister," Ruby said, sticking out her tongue. "And I'm not going to let anyone take you away."

"Ruby…" Yang said, lifting her sister up. Ruby could see tears well up in her older sister's eyes. "You're the best sister ever. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough."

"It's not your fault," Uncle Qrow said. "The adults should protect the children, and it didn't choose any of us."

"There, there," Ruby tried to raise her sister's spirits. "How about you tell me a bit about your teammates before they arrive? I only know their names after all. You said they would be with Ozpin and Dad, right?"

Yang nodded, hugging her sister as she walked out of the room, the headmistress and their Uncle following. Yang hadn't been very talkative about her teammates, and Ruby knew it was mostly to avoid making her sad because she couldn't enjoy being at Beacon with all of them.

"There's Weiss and Blake and Kelly and we're the most badass team in Beacon," Yang half-said, half-cried into her sister's clothes, walking out without even looking forward. "And there's our friends like vomit boy and Pyrrha and Lie Ren and Nora who can benchpress five times her own weiiiight."

The last word came out as more of a wail. Ruby could see her Uncle sigh, his shoulders sagging. She just shrugged at him. What can you do?

* * *

Ruby eventually learned that it had been barely three hours since the dragon's attack, and the sun had barely begun to set as the body of Mr. Forrest was brought onto the courtyard, wrapped in fabric rather than using a coffin. His teammates were carrying him, their fourth member on the way here with the other teachers that left for Beacon.

Ruby couldn't find any words as his body was brought to the large patch of land behind the school, where former headmasters, students and teachers that fell in the line of duty were buried.

It was actually rather simple, and there would be no slab to put above the grave for a while, but they knew it was necessary. A certain sense of closure.

The sky tinted in orange, the entire place looked actually rather peaceful.

"I don't like funerals," Ruby muttered. It's the first one she was actually on, or rather, the first one she could actually remember.

"Me neither."

Yang was watching the scene with downcast eyes, her arms crossed. Ms. Russet and Mr. Arbust looked calmer than anyone as they slowly lowered the body of their late teammate into the hole that was dug by Yang and Ruby. 'Preparation' for the funeral wasn't really a lot besides this and calling together all the students.

Headmistress Palila walked up to the front and turned to face her students.

"It is a grim reality," she began. "That in the line of duty, hunters and huntresses will meet their end at the hands of the Grimm."

She glanced towards Ms. Russet and Mr. Arbust, nodding as they began closing the grave.

"I'm sure all of you understand what you are up against," she continued. "What you are doing for the people of Vale. What you are doing for the people of Remnant. You didn't choose to become artisans or farmers, you chose to become hunters. And I expect you to behave as such."

"Yes!" the students chorused loudly.

"I have arranged for all of you to go home for the time being and be with your families until the end of this week," she concluded. "And do never forget, we do not fear the Grimm, we will have to make the Grimm fear us."

"Yes, ma'am," the students chorused again. Ruby could see it on their faces, their mood brighter than before, happy about being able to go home for a while, especially during such dire times.

Ruby smiled, and she could see a small smile on Yang's face too.

The tightness in her chest grew weaker.

* * *

It was late by the time the airship got visible in the distance. Ruby yawned, standing outside with her sister and the teachers while most students had already begun to make their way home. The school was empty.

When the ship landed and the door opened wide, the first wave of people that dropped out were teachers, including the fourth member of the Wulfsbane team, Ms. Myosotis.

The teachers and the headmistress left, together with Uncle Qrow. The next batch of travelers weren't very familiar faces to Ruby, but she could still recognize them from the pictures. Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and a green-haired girl in loose pants called Kelly Glas.

Brunswick: Yang's team.

Blake and Weiss hurried towards them, while Yang took a slower pace forward and Ruby followed behind them. Ruby's eyes were drawn to their weapons.

"We heard about what happened and we pestered Headmaster Ozpin to come along with him!" were Weiss' first words.

"Weiss was really worried," Blake said.

"I was _not_ , I was just… really, annoyed, or, something," Weiss stuttered.

"Aww, I missed you too!" Yang said, grabbing Weiss in a hug.

"Let me go, you brute!" Weiss protested weakly.

"Don't be so mean, Weiss, I had a really shitty day, come on~"

"Blake, you're the team leader, do something!" Weiss said.

"Take one for the team," Blake said, smiling softly before turning to Ruby and offering her hand. "Hello, I'm Blake."

Ruby took her hand, shaking it. "Ruby!"

"That over there is Weiss," Blake pointed at the girl still trying to escape Yang's grip. "And this is Kelly."

The girl waved lazily, a giant… something on her back, making her look like a turtle. Her weapon of choice, Ruby assumed. Behind the girls, Ozpin, an unfamiliar woman and her Dad finally stepped out.

"Daddy!" Ruby said as if she hadn't seen him just yesterday. Both began to run towards each other, hitting in the middle and falling down. Ruby recovered a bit quicker, and hugged her father.

"Ruby Rose," Ozpin began, making the girl look up from where she was. "I would like to extend an apology. We were mistaken and it ended in a tragedy."

"It's… okay?" she said, standing up. Her father followed suit, walking up to Yang and greeting his daughter as well. "I'm still not sure what exactly happened, Mr. Ozpin."

"Just Ozpin is enough," he said. "It's… complicated. Politics are a large part of it, and I would love to skip over it if it were possible. We have discussed the major points over the transmission, but please, let me introduce you to one of Beacon's finest. This is Glynda Goodwitch."

The stern looking woman nodded, giving Ruby a smile. "Greetings."

"And I'm the Headmaster, but you know that already," Ozpin said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Ruby nodded. "You said we're going to Beacon?"

"I will explain inside," he nodded. "Girls?"

Team BWYK heeded the call and after one last goodbye to Taiyang, the door closed.

"He might join us soon on Vytal," Ozpin said when they were seated, the airship starting its way towards Beacon.

"Why Vytal?" Yang asked.

"It's the most neutral place," Ozpin said.

"Why do we need a neutral place?" Blake asked. "I thought Ruby would join us in Beacon and learn how to fight the dragon, right? That was kind of the point of this trip."

"Right, but not quite right at the same time," Ozpin confirmed. "The problem about the Grigori is that it's not just a threat for Vale. It's a global threat, and people everywhere are looking towards their governments, their hunters, to help. The problem is…"

"That only one person can help," Weiss said. "And that's her?"

"Correct," Glynda said, grabbing a stack of papers next to her. "One of the terms of the peace contract after the Great War was specifically created to handle this situation, which is…"

"Politics," Ozpin said again, as if rather tired of it. "You're the only thing between us and the dragon, and so you can't just be a 'Huntress of Vale', joining Beacon."

"I… can't join Beacon?" Ruby asked, worried. She really wanted to go to that school eventually, it was what she had planned for years.

"You can," Ozpin said quickly. "The problem is that you're an independent entity, and while you're a minor, your unique status isn't covered by such things. You can choose which school you visit, though that might lead to some complications with the kingdom's leaders."

"But weren't the schools founded on the concept of hunters being independent of their respective kingdom's military forces?" Weiss asked.

"What's true on paper isn't exactly always true on practice," Ozpin said. "If she stays at one school, in one kingdom, taught by one kingdom's teachers, they are going to claim she is no independent. In the _worst_ case, there might be conflict."

"Which means?" Yang asked.

"Politics," Blake and Ozpin said at the same time. Blake continued, "It's not that hard. If she stays in one school, the other kingdoms might feel unsafe because she can't be there quick enough, right?"

"Right." Ozpin nodded. "So what we want to do is to find a compromise, something that makes everyone happy. The council's leading the kingdoms have each sent one representative to Vytal as an emergency council concerned about the fate of Remnant."

"And they can't find a compromise on their own?" the last member asked. "Just, you know, chill and stuff."

The girl looked so calm, it was almost as if she was bored, Ruby noted. Weiss, meanwhile, was doing her best not to look nervous, still chewing on a nail, and Blake glimpsed towards Ms. Goodwitch's stack of papers.

"They can't," Ozpin said. "So we're hoping that you could help."

"Me?" Ruby pointed at herself. "I don't think I'm cut out for politics."

"You don't need to be," Ozpin said. "All you need to do is to convince them that what you want to do is the right thing. We have multiple suggestions to offer to you, the easiest one would be applying to Beacon and asking the representatives for a person from each kingdom as a team member. That would give it a sense of neutrality."

"That doesn't sound bad," Yang said. Ruby nodded.

"The second one would be having tutors from each kingdom, also easy to accomplish, but teams are generally safer," Goodwitch said. "The third one... "

"The third one would be applying to all schools," he said. "The four major schools in all kingdoms, and move between them every few weeks. It's not an optimal solution, but it would be the 'safest' one in terms of a sudden Dragon attack. You are present in each kingdom every few weeks."

Ruby's head was spinning slightly. "That sounds really complicated."

"Politics."

"Yeah, yeah," Yang muttered. "So… what do you want to do, Ruby?"

"I don't know," Ruby said. "I still got a question."

"Oh?" Ozpin intoned.

"Why did the dragon have an aura?" Ruby asked, making everyone but Yang and Ozpin jump. "I mean, it's a Grimm, right? It shouldn't have a soul."

"It has _what_?" Weiss asked. Yang nodded, remembering the feeling of the beast nearby.

"We don't know," Ozpin said. "There is a lot of things we don't know. It's not like a smaller Grimm you can capture and study. It appears once every few hundred years or so, and it always does the same thing. It attacks, chooses someone, and then waits for the fight. The longer it goes unchallenged, the more it destroys. Those that are chosen have been dubbed…"

"Arisen?" Ruby tried. Ozpin shot her a surprised look. "It's what the dragon said when he… took my heart?"

"You could understand it?" he asked.

"Yes. It said 'Take up arms, falsely Arisen, for my kind do not heed the toothless'," she quoted. "I… just remembered it. Is it Arisen because I'm a zombie?"

"You're _not_ a zombie," Ozpin said. "You're still human. Assuming the Dragon can use an aura, it might have something to do with its own kind of Semblance. It marks you and you can understand it."

"A Grimm with a Semblance," Weiss muttered. "Why didn't anyone know about this before?"

"People fear the Grimm," Blake said. "And forgetting something like this when it only appears every few hundred years doesn't sound unrealistic."

"Heavy stuff," Kelly said. Yang nodded.

"And," Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm responsible to finish this?"

"Yes," Ozpin stated bluntly. "If it could be me, I wouldn't hesitate to take that burden, but as it stands, there's nobody but you who can hurt the Grigori."

Ruby nodded, standing up. Yang did as well, but the younger girl smiled at her sister, shaking her head. She wanted some time alone.

Yang sat back down, gritting her teeth.

* * *

Ruby was lying on her stomach, her face pressed into a couch she found away from the others not very far away. The airship was _really_ huge. It looked huge from the outside, but it was even bigger… yeah.

The rumblings were a bit annoying while trying to relax, but considering the speed they were using to travel over the kingdom, it was a wonder this thing was actually still working appropriately.

When she heard the door to this room make a soft sound, she turned her head, staring at the person that walked in, believing that Yang hadn't really gotten the message that she wanted to have some time to think. It wasn't Yang, though, but the girl that looked like a turtle with her huge weapon on the back. Kelly.

Kelly didn't say anything and just sat down across the table to Ruby.

"Hi?" Ruby tried. The green girl smiled.

"Heavy stuff," Kelly said, repeating her earlier words.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

"But hey, that beats learning for a test, right?" Kelly asked. "I mean, I failed so many of them this year."

Ruby wasn't exactly sure where the girl was going with this, and Kelly just shrugged at her confused look.

"We can't choose what tests we take," she said. "For me it's about the properties and practical uses of fire dust, and for you it's a dragon."

Ruby groaned, turning around again and putting her face into the couch. She just wasn't the kind of person to tell someone to leave her alone that directly.

"I'm bad with words," Kelly said. "You don't need to be alone, you know? When you talk politics or when you go off fulfilling some ancient prophecy about killing a dragon. We'd be glad to help, you're Yang's little sister, that makes you our little sister, too."

"Uhhh," Ruby got out, pushing herself off the couch. "Thanks?"

"No biggie."

"Say, Kelly, right? That thing on your back," Ruby began, twirling her thumbs. "That's your weapon, right?"

Now it was Kelly's turn to look confused, before a bit of realization came with it.

"Yang did say you were a sucker for weapons." Kelly laughed, taking the weapon off her back and putting it on the ground. It made a rather noticeable sound at the weight. "It's my Lerna Cannabi."

"It's a shield?" Ruby asked.

"It's half a shield, half dust-powered siege engine," she put it over her arm and pointed forward, making holes open up in the front and the side, letting cannons out.

"That's so cool!" Ruby gushed, walking around the weapon to take it all in. "I got this!"

She took Crescent Rose from her back and expanded it. "It's a scythe, but!" it transformed. "A high-powered sniper rifle!"

"Nice. But can it to _this_?"

Kelly went to her knees and slammed the shield into the ground, the cannons vanishing into it again before the thing twisted and turned, revealing a huge cannon out of the middle.

Ruby squeed.

* * *

Introduced here:

Kelly Glas: Green. Kinda looks like a turtle. A very high turtle.


	3. Beacon

Beacon was something everyone knew about. The school for hunters and huntresses had existed for years and only the crème de la crème of Grimm-killers were accepted into its halls. Among those who joined, Ruby knew, not every student graduated. While rare, death was a realistic possibility during the training when inattentive students were ambushed.

But depending on where one came from, the definition of hunters differed. Hunters were not weapons to be pointed at enemies - this was Ruby's opinion, and one she knew that Yang shared. They were more like shields to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Teamwork and trust was essential, and she knew that Beacon, compared to the Atlas Academy for example, made team-based excellence, rather than personal achievement, a core philosophy.

The airship landed in front of the school, a large shield hanging around it that would prevent the huge vessel's entry. It was a breathtaking sight - especially under the lanterns that were following along the path towards the school.

The light illuminated the stony way to what could only be described as a castle, in comparison to the rather plain school building that they had at Signal. More light in the distance brightened the sight onto the old building that was Yang's school.

She swallowed.

Along the way were men and women, some of them armed with more obvious weapons such as swords and guns, others, which she also assumed to be hunters by the way they held themselves, had more subtle weapons on their person. The airship's entrance opened, slowly lowering itself to a level where even civilians could safely jump down. Someone patted her hard on the back before the same hand settled on her shoulder.

"A bit early, but here it is!" Yang said, smiling. Ruby smiled back, appreciating the gesture. "Beacon Academy, wish it would have been under different circumstances, but you know how it is."

"Come," Ozpin said, stepping out first. He waited for the others to follow, team BWYK and Ruby stepping out before Ms. Goodwitch did.

"I forgot to ask earlier," Ruby said, following after the man. Some of the hunters around here looked at her strangely, expressions she couldn't place due to the bad lighting and the sheer numbers of them. "But why did we go to Beacon first before we take off to Vytal?"

"Now that the Dragon attacked," Ozpin said. "There is no reason to keep the schools closed. The meeting at Vytal is due in a week, but until then, this is the safest place." He grimaced, his lips drawn into a thin line as if he had just swallowed something sour. "The plan to draw the Dragon to the experienced hunters failed, so all students will return in the next few days. It might give you a sense of normality and help your decision."

"You mean you'd prefer she stays in Beacon." Blake said. It was more a statement than an actual question. Yang glanced between Blake and the headmaster.

"We'd prefer if she makes her own decision," Ozpin said. "But that doesn't mean we won't lend assistance."

It sounded like he wanted to manipulate her, but she didn't really think he had any ill will. A movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention, and she stopped, looking towards one of the hunters under the lanterns. He knelt, for whatever reason, the jeans he wore scraping against the cement with a noticeable noise, and as if waiting for him to make the first move, the others followed. They weren't many, and by far not the majority, but they toppled like felled trees, one after the other. Ruby blinked, her gaze moving towards Ozpin who was watching the scene himself.

"Is… everything alright with them?" Ruby asked the headmaster. He looked back towards the building, walking a bit faster than before.

"You shouldn't worry about them," Ozpin said. "They're… worried. Sometimes worry turns into looking for solutions in ways that only they can understand."

She didn't need someone to tell her what he meant, especially with the revelations in the airship. She was the solution to their problems, their beacon in the darkness under the dragon's wings and talons.

It sent a shudder down her spine. She wasn't a normal girl - nobody who wanted to be a hunter or huntress was normal by any sense of the word. But there was still a huge gap between not being normal and having such a responsibility. A responsibility that people took so seriously that they would bend the knee in front of her.

Yang threw an arm around Ruby's neck, making the younger sister glance up. "Don't worry about it!" She smiled wider this time. "I'll teach you how to use this to get free stuff. It's really easy when the guys-"

"Stop it, Yang!" Weiss hissed. Ruby's glance moved from her sister to the white-haired girl to her right, whose face turned into an interesting shade of red. "That's not what you should teach her at all!"

"Awww, is itty-bitty Weiss embarrassed? Don't worry, Big Sis Yang will teach you all about the birds and the bees too!"

"I don't need you to teach me anything, I am not interested in your perverted ramblings."

"Ohhh, let me guess! You're actually into other girls, well I can tell you a few stories about that as well-"

"Shut up!"

Ruby laughed, the chuckle escaping her throat forcefully enough to make her bend over slightly, still following after the headmaster. Ms. Goodwitch was staring at Yang with narrowed eyes, but didn't say anything further. It seems that Yang's attempt to make everyone loosen up a bit was a success.

Still, what Ozpin said about the students returning was interesting. He called Beacon the safest place, yet the Grigori could no doubt pierce through whatever shields they created if it wanted to. She doubted that it was the would-be hunters that made it safe against the Dragon.

After all, that was her 'job'. She could hurt it, he had confirmed. Only she could.

Or maybe they knew it wouldn't attack this place for whatever reason. She could ask later, concentrating more on the school as they finally stepped through the gates. It looked as amazing up close as it did from afar.

No, Ruby shook her head. It looked even more incredible than she had imagined. The school that was the goal of almost every student in Signal, right in front of her, like a fairy tale come true.

Ruby couldn't help but smile. She had hoped to go to school with her sister one day, and now that possibility was closer than ever. The amount of joy she felt simply overwhelmed the confusion and dread that had built up in her chest before. She wished she could have her heart back for just a second to feel it pounding.

"Welcome to Beacon," Ozpin said. She wondered if her smile looked as stupid as it felt on her face, the muscles around her mouth actually hurting. "I assume you won't mind staying inside your sister's room for the time you're staying here."

"Of course she doesn't," Yang said, her arm a bit tighter around Ruby's neck now.

"Well I do-" Weiss began before Blake and Kelly grabbed the girl, pushing their hands over the heiress's mouth.

"We don't mind either," Blake said. Yang whooped, making Ruby's smile widen even more. Despite the burden that Ozpin mentioned, she couldn't feel more at ease than she felt at this moment.

"Great, we can continue talking tomorrow then, it's rather late already." Ozpin nodded to Ms. Goodwitch. "Ms. Goodwitch will get you tomorrow and show you around before the students come back around the evening."

Ruby couldn't imagine the annoyance most of the teachers and students felt at being sent back and forth between the places. But no plan survives contact with the enemy, she supposed, and nobody had expected the Grigori to attack a place other than Beacon. Had it destroyed everything around here, she imagined that Beacon might have stayed closed for a while longer.

"I expect you to be ready at exactly 9AM, girls," Ms. Goodwitch said. "If not, well…" She tilted her head slightly to the side, letting their imaginations run wild. Yang shuddered for some reason.

"Yes, ma'am," team BWYK said. Weiss' words sounded more muffled due to the fact that Blake and Kelly still had her mouth shut. Yang took off her arm from Ruby's shoulders and tugged on the younger girl. "Come!"

"Yes! Race you there!" Ruby shouted back, her voice echoing through the empty schoolyard.

"You don't even know where it is!" Yang countered. Ruby stopped after taking only one step, kicking the dust under her feet, slightly embarrassed. Yang led the way.

Ruby followed with a skip in her step.

* * *

The promise not to stay awake too late would been hard to break anyway. As soon as they finally settled down inside the dorm room that looked incredibly… interesting, Ruby felt tired. She didn't let the tiredness stop her from taking a look around, from a pile of books near one of the beds and something that looked like a flute on the bed above that. Yang's bed was probably the incredibly messy one above the very neat one.

It couldn't have been more different, and it couldn't have been any cooler sitting here with a bunch of Beacon students! Weiss settled down on the neat bed, looking sour after the ordeal that Blake and Kelly had put her through. Ruby didn't know just why exactly Weiss seemed to dislike her so much, and from what she saw, she treated almost everything with the same kind of vehemence, even her teammates to a certain degree.

Besides the beds and what was on them, the room was rather sparse, almost spartanic. While one corner was very much clean and tidy, with a wardrobe that was presumably filled with clothes, a lot of the stuff was just here and there. Blake, despite looking a lot more proper than Yang and Kelly was apparently just as untidy.

"I'd really appreciate if you would actually let me speak my mind," Weiss muttered, her arms crossed. She wasn't actually looking at them while talking, instead glaring at the lower-side of Yang's bed from where she lay.

"We let you and you disagreed," Kelly said. Yang gave the girl a thumbs up.

"It's my little sister, Weiss, we can't have her stay in some room by herself," Yang continued. Ruby appreciated her sister's concern, but she actually could. It's what she did in Signal too, after all.

"I don't mind," Ruby said, her voice sounding a bit weak. She blamed the tiredness. "If I'm too much of a bother, I can just-"

A pillow hit her face. Removing the pillow, Ruby could see Weiss with her knees on the bed, her arm stretched out as if she just had thrown something. Which she had, one of the pillows that was under her head had vanished.

"Just stay!" Weiss said, looking a tad red in the face again. "See if I care!"

She fell backwards onto the bed again, crossing her arms. Kelly and Yang laughed at Ruby's confused look, and the younger girl just shrugged, not sure what to make out of the sudden acceptance.

"I…" Ruby got out, her eyes tearing up as she yawned. "I think I'm a lot more tired than I thought."

"That's alright, let's get to sleep," Yang said. "Come."

Her older sister grabbed Ruby by the collar and threw her up to the bed above Weiss'. She didn't really have any pajamas there, so this would have to do… the realization that she didn't take any clothes with her to Beacon came a bit late. She wouldn't have anything to wear tomorrow. She yawned again as her sister settled next to her.

"Night, Yang," Ruby muttered sleepily.

"G'night…" Yang responded.

* * *

Ruby's lungs were burning as she ran through wasted fields of ashen black. Patterns of destroyed trees and buildings stretched over the horizons, forests burned to the ground and charred black corpses atop of ruined walls.

It didn't matter how far she got, how much her legs hurt, and how hard she forced her lungs to keep pumping oxygen through her body. She ran, and ran, and ran, but she could not escape the sight, or the smell that accompanied it.

Like brimstone and all things toxic, it hurt. She tried to keep her mouth closed, but every step she ran out of breath. It kept happening: She breathed in deeply, her eyes tearing up, her body burning, and when she took a step, she breathed out, and then in again. Her clothes singed at every point, she couldn't reach whatever was beyond the ruins, but she could not stop either.

On crimson wings and the masks of Grimm…

It followed. She shuddered. And when she tripped, she felt like screaming, but her breath was gone, and she could no longer make noise, not even muffled ones.

It came to a skidding halt. The Grigori's body ripped through the ruined ashes and debris like a child that kicked up sand at the beach, its talons and scales created the sound of hundreds of voices, screaming with every inch that was etched into the ground.

She wanted to curse, to scream, to shout, to rage against its massive form. But her body wasn't listening to her anymore.

Ruby closed her yes as the beast's hand once more came forward and its claw ripped through her chest.

* * *

Ruby stopped herself from screaming as she fell off the bed, instead making a loud thud. Her chest hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. The scar was pounding as if responding to what her missing heart would have done, imitating the beating that was no longer there.

Unfortunately, despite the lack of voicing her plight, the thud was enough to wake up the other residents of the room. Blake was the first one up, prowling like a cat and glaring at her, while Kelly took the slower route to wake up. Yang jumped from her bed and helped Ruby up.

"Is… everything alright?" Blake asked, not looking as shocked as she did before.

"Yes, sorry, I just fell off the bed," Ruby said, laughing it off. It was a bit strained, and her back hurt slightly. "Just had a nightmare, nothing too bad."

At least she hoped so. It felt worse than any nightmare she had before, but at least she had her sister to take care of her.

"You woke me up because of a nightmare?" Weiss glared at Ruby. Ruby raised her hands in a placating manner.

"Sorry," Ruby said. "Maybe Yang just kicked me off the bed."

"Ahahaha." Yang scratched the back of her head. "Maybe. Sorry."

"You two are just insufferable!" Weiss said, slamming her head back onto the pillow. Ruby blinked, checking her scroll for the time. It wasn't 9AM was barely 6 actually, but she wasn't going to sleep again already.

"I really need a shower," Ruby said. Yang looked at her, sniffed slightly and nodded.

"You definitely do," Yang confirmed. Ruby pouted when Blake turned her head as well. "I suppose I do too. Grab your clothes and we can go."

"I don't have any clothes," Ruby admitted. Yang blinked. "I didn't really plan for a trip! I didn't take anything with me, so I just got the clothes I got on right now."

Ruby heard Weiss growling, a pillow over her head as if she wanted them to leave her alone. Before they could say anything, Weiss just threw one of the pillows towards the neat corner with the wardrobe. "I got spare uniforms there. Grab one."

"You are the same size by the looks of it," Yang said, nodding. "Thanks, Weiss!"

"Thanks, Weiss!" Ruby echoed, moving to the wardrobe to take one of the uniforms. A Beacon uniform! She could wear a beacon uniform! Opening it, she found it as neat and sorted as everything that Weiss owned. She wanted to ask if she could take that adorable summer dress instead but decided against it. Best not to push her luck when Weiss was already this generous.

Ruby had the feeling that Weiss wasn't actually as annoyed as she pretended to be. Grabbing one of the spare uniforms and suppressing a squee, she followed Yang to the showers.

* * *

After a very refreshing shower and putting on the best uniform ever, Ruby still had two hours before Ms. Goodwitch would actually pick them up to show her around. Yang was holding her stomach, sighing the longest of sighs.

Yang moaned. "I'm so hungry."

Ruby knew just how much Yang could eat, she could eat just as much, of course! But for whatever reason, she didn't feel very hungry, even though her last meal has been a while ago.

They moved towards the exit of the dorms for some fresh air before they actually had to meet the teacher.

"I'd show you the cafeteria but there's not actually anything to eat if there's no staff here," Yang said. "Guess we will have to wait until after the tour."

"That won't be necessary, Ms. Xiao Lang." A man came up, green hair adorning his head while large glasses sat on his nose. "The staff has already returned early to prepare the meals for the returning students."

"Really?!" Yang looked way too happy about that. "Thanks for the info, Mr. Oobleck!"

"You're welcome, Ms. Xiao Lang." Mr. Oobleck nodded at the blonde girl. "Welcome to Beacon, Ms. Rose. You might not have seen me, but I was outside while you arrived yesterday, amidst the other guards."

"Guards?" Ruby asked. The man looked rather… weak, for a hunter. She wouldn't say it out loud, of course, but compared to the teachers she had seen at her school, this one was strangely diminutive. Despite that, he could use his aura, she felt.

"Yes, our job is to make sure nothing happens to you, you're special after all."

Ruby hummed, glancing away. The empty schoolyard was filled with all sorts of plants and flowers, benches left and right for students to sit down and relax. She would rather have it that they protected the school, and not her, but she supposed there wasn't much of a choice here.

"Ask later, food now!" Yang tugged on Ruby's arm, dragging her off. The younger sister waved goodbye to the teacher as the large cafeteria building came closer.

* * *

Ruby felt full. She wasn't very hungry, but she could still stow away everything that was put on the table. They didn't leave until Yang was satisfied, which took a while, but allowed them to waste just enough time to arrive back at the dorm room a few minutes before the specified time.

The rest of Yang's team kept sleeping a bit longer, and were ready all the same. Weiss was holding her stomach however.

"Ugh, why couldn't we grab something to eat first?" She asked as her stomach grumbled. "They did!"

"Because you had to sleep in, princess," Kelly answered.

"Aren't you hungry?" Weiss glared at the lazy girl.

"No, I raided the kitchen while everyone was sleeping and got some food for Blake and me."

"What about me?" Weiss asked. "Why doesn't anyone ever think of me when they do things like this!"

"Well I did have some for you," Kelly confirmed. "But you were fast asleep so I left it next to your bed while Blake woke up from the smell aaaand-"

"And. What?" Weiss asked. Ruby felt bad for the white-haired girl, maybe she should have taken something with her from the cafeteria?

"I got the munchies."

"The munchies," said Weiss, her voice flat.

"Yeah, and all that food was there, you know." Kelly nodded as if that was the answer to every question. "Sorry, my bad."

"Gahhh." Weiss grit her teeth, grinding them together and producing an unhealthy sound that worried Ruby.

"Sorry," Ruby said. "I should have brought something with me."

Weiss' glare turned to her, while Ruby did her best to smile back. The grinding teeth stopped slightly for Weiss to mutter a quick "It's not your responsibility," before her eyes turned back to Kelly again.

Blake and Yang found it amusing enough to laugh about it with Weiss right here, drawing the ire of the girl as well. "Go have your tour without me, I'm too hungry!"

Weiss stormed off, meeting Ms. Goodwitch halfway through the hallway, greeting the teacher and then storming off again.

"I'm… actually still hungry, I'll follow her," Kelly said, doing just that. Blake and Yang watched their teammates leave as Ms. Goodwitch stepped up to them.

"What was this about?" The teacher asked.

"They're just hungry," Yang said. "They'll join us later."

"Alright then," Ms. Goodwitch nodded. "Where did you get that uniform from, Ms. Rose?"

"Oh, Weiss lended it to me because I didn't bring any clothes," Ruby said. She was still thankful for the opportunity to wear this and hoped that Ms. Goodwitch didn't mind.

"We will have to do something about that then, unless of course you join us here." Ms. Goodwitch gave a friendly smile, her eyes not looking as stern as they usually did.

Ruby had to admit, that was an offer she had a hard time refusing.

"It won't be a long tour, but afterwards we will meet with the headmaster in his office," Ms. Goodwitch said. "Some of the students will arrive earlier than expected anyway, and there are a few bad news."

"Bad news?" Ruby asked. She didn't really want to be worried about any bad news before the tour, but she appreciated the honesty instead of hiding it until the meeting with headmaster Ozpin.

"Your identity has been leaked," Ms. Goodwitch confirmed. Yang narrowed her eyes, staring at the teacher. "We had hoped it wouldn't happen until the meeting on Vytal, which means that the other students might actually know about your condition."

"And that's… bad?" Ruby asked again. She didn't really know why. What would make them knowing earlier rather than later change?

"It means that you might get a lot of attention you won't like," Ms. Goodwitch said. "I'll assume that your sister and her team will be more than enough to stop any problematic advances, but please be careful."

Ruby nodded, swallowing a lump that had built up in her throat. She didn't know what kind of attention Ms. Goodwitch meant, but it couldn't be anything positive by the way she spoke of it.

"Let's see, the first place would be the classrooms…" Ms. Goodwitch began her tour.

Ruby felt the excitement from last night creep up again.

* * *

The first airships arrived during their tour still. There weren't many students, but they had to bring them back from every corner they set them off, so of course it was a matter of multiple ships coming back.

Ruby didn't actually see any of them because they had to meet with Ozpin right afterwards. The headmaster was in his rather spacious office going through files on a computer.

"Good morning," he said. It was more like midday, really, but who was that pernickety? "I assume you had some time to rest?"

"Yes." Ruby nodded, jumping slightly on her heels. "And the tour was awesome! I love it here!"

"I'm glad," he said. The man behind the desk looked a lot more serious than the man she had met inside the airship. He pressed a scroll onto the desk, creating a large image in the center of the room. "It seems that some people inside your school actually reported your name, which led to some investigations."

"They told reporters about my sister?" Yang asked. They did, of course, Ms. Goodwitch already confirmed that earlier. "And what is going to happen now?"

Ruby was curious too, but she was too busy staring at the rather holographic live stream of the news where an anchor, muted, was saying something as images of the dragon appeared in the corner.

"It just means that there is going to be a few… problematic people who might want to hire her," he said. "Nobody would dare to harm the person who can kill the dragon, but having her as bodyguard would mean safety."

"For them and nobody else," Blake said. Weiss and Kelly still hadn't joined them, perhaps stopped by the returning students.

"Which brings us back to the problem I have mentioned yesterday," Ozpin said, changing the image to that of a world map. "People want safety and assurance. If we cannot offer that, the Grimm flock together and attack borders much more focused than before. And the only one who can offer them this assurance and safety is you."

Ruby wished he was wrong, but she knew that would just be the denial of an inevitable truth. Unless there was someone else who lived through what she did, nobody could take care of the Grigori. Why didn't it choose four people for each kingdom instead? Of course it couldn't be that simple.

Of course.

She clenched her fists, her arms on her sides. Despair wouldn't solve anything, so she did what she could. She gave him a smile, as geniune as she could and nodded.

"I won't let it come to that," she said rather loudly.

"Ruby…" Yang whispered next to her, looking down.

"I'll make sure everyone is safe," Ruby said. "And that everyone can believe in me."

The scar was pounding. As if she had just spoken out a threat against the dragon, a challenge, it was responding to her will. The pain was unbearable, but she did not complain or flinch back. She'd give it back to him, that scar, and she would take back her heart.

"You're strong, Ruby Rose," Ozpin said. "Far stronger than a lot of other hunters I've met in my life. I would like to ask you if you already decided on what to do."

"I... " Ruby began, grabbing her left arm with her right hand, squeezing. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I really like it here. A lot! I want to go to school with Yang and the others, but I don't know if that'd be the best thing for everyone else."

"So you wish to go to the other schools as well?"

That was one of the suggestions. Apply to every school, rotate in between them. It would allow her to balance it out, but she would have to say goodbye to new friends every few weeks and leave them behind until she came back.

"Like I said, not sure," Ruby repeated. Yang and Blake didn't say anything, but Ms. Goodwitch gave a sympathetic glance. "I suppose the best thing I could do is visit every school and find out about them."

That'd be the best compromise she could make, in her eyes.

"And if I find a place I don't like, I will just stay in Vytal and ask for tutors instead. That way I wouldn't be biased, right?"

"That'd be a possibility, yes." Ozpin nodded. "You would just have to sell the idea to the representatives at Vytal."

"I will do that," Ruby said.

"If you are that confident, it's a relief." Ozpin smiled at her, leaning back in his chair. "Thank you for lending an ear, Ms. Rose, I hope I can aid you if you are ever in need. Please do not hesitate to give me a call. Ms. Goodwitch will give you my number."

"Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin."

Yang stared between Ruby and the headmaster before sighing. "I accept whatever you will choose eventually, but don't you think I'd just leave you alone on Vytal!"

"If Yang goes, I suppose we can't help but follow," Blake said, smiling slightly. "I'm sure Kelly will get Weiss to join too."

Yang laughed. Ruby joined in.

* * *

The sheer amount of students that had arrived by 4PM was incredible. Beacon was a big school, no doubt. One that even people from other kingdoms joined, immigrating to Vale just for that purpose. Yang had managed to shield Ruby from most of them by quickly bringing her back to the dorm room. Unfortunately, they couldn't simply hole themselves inside for the rest of the week until the trip to Vytal, and in time, Yang grew hungry again.

Dinner time, and the cafeteria was filled.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked. "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"I'm okay," Ruby said, lying. She really did want to meet some of Yang's other friends, but the large amount of new faces made her feel rather uncomfortable. The cafeteria was larger than Signal's school building, or maybe it was just how the tables were arranged with all the students sitting there. They managed to grab some food before anyone actually recognized her.

She heard the whispers, the muttering under their breath as they tried and failed to be subtle about what they were talking about. Yang glared at everyone, but only had two eyes to do that, and every time someone shut up, another person began to speak.

Eventually, she led them to a table where Weiss and Kelly were sitting, together with four others she didn't recognize. The blonde boy was speaking with Weiss, calling her by nicknames while the red-haired girl next to him was doing her best to pretend that she wasn't listening.

"Guys!" Yang said, taking a break from her glaring. "This is my sister, Ruby."

"H-hi!" The blonde boy from before shouted suddenly, standing up. "I… uh, sorry. I heard about you, in-"

"Jaune, shut up," Yang said with a smile on her face. He did, sitting down again. "That jumpy little guy is Vomit-boy! Or Jaune Arc if you prefer. Next to him are Nora, Pyrrha and Ren. They're friends of mine."

Kelly and Weiss moved apart, leaving a larger spot where Blake, Yang and Ruby could sit down.

"I think Yang told me about you," Ruby said. "She talked about so much, I can't remember all of it, sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jaune said, chuckling. He looked friendly enough, despite his earlier outburst. "I have to apologize too."

"I don't mind," Ruby said. She did, but he looked genuinely apologetic. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hiiii," Nora said. "Want to hang out later? I got this awesome idea but nobody wants to help me carry a tree here."

"Sure?" Ruby tried, blinking at the overactive girl. It was like that one time she had a bit too much sugar, so fully charged with energy. The girl with the orange-colored hair smiled widely, grabbing her hand over the table and shaking it.

"Good luck," Yang whispered.

"Welcome to Beacon, Ruby," Pyrrha greeted her. The boy next to her nodded in greeting, too busy with his food to actually talk. "Are you also from Signal?"

"Yes, Yang used to go to the school too." Ruby nodded. "Why?"

"I'm just curious about how well you can fight," Pyrrha admitted. "With the news and all that, and especially considering Yang is your sister. She's a real beast outside."

"Beast sounds so negative when you say it like that," Yang muttered, considering they were friends, Ruby assumed it was just some jest.

"I'm quite good with my scythe," Ruby said. Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"Before you take it out, remember where we are," Yang said. Ruby looked around, before laughing awkwardly and sitting down again.

"Oops."

They continued talking, eating, getting to know each other. Ruby felt happy, despite the sadness over the friends she left at Signal. Yang's friend were really nice. But there were bad apples everywhere, of course.

"Didn't you hear?" A voice from behind echoed rather loudly over the chatters of the cafeteria crowd. "They say that the person that the dragon chooses is just a trap."

Ruby dropped her fork over the food as Yang turned to the person, her glare returning.

"They let them go and the moment they're near others, surprise! The Dragon appears!"

Yang was about to stand up, but Ruby stopped her sister by putting a hand on her arm, shaking her head. It's not worth it. Despite that, Ruby didn't know how to feel about this, staring at her food.

"You got no proof to that, just some random rumors from tabloids," a girl next to the male voice from before said.

"Of course it's just rumors, but just look at her," the male voice continued. "She's younger than us, how would she be someone who can kill the Dragon? Looks more like this is a trap than our savior."

Ruby's grip on her sister's arm tightened, but she didn't expect Weiss to stand up quickly and grab the boy by his collar, dragging him backwards off the bench. He landed on the floor with a soft thud, staring up.

"Apologize," Weiss said, glaring at the boy. Ruby glanced back, he had dark skin and dark hair. His eyes looked white under the light, as if he had no pupils.

"Hey!" He shouted, offended. When he tried to stand up again, she grabbed him by his collar, dragging him up instead. "What gives?"

"I said 'Apologize!'," she repeated, sounding even more angry than before.

"Weiss," Ruby said. "It's alright."

She hadn't known the girl for long, but considering all she had seen, a reaction like this was unexpected, to say the least.

"No it isn't!" Weiss shouted vehemently. "If he has such a big mouth and uses it to badmouth you, he can at least try to back it up!"

The boy shoved Weiss strongly when her grip relaxed, sending the heiress over the table that was still full of food. Ruby stood up quickly, helping the girl off the table, trying to wipe away the stains that had settled on her uniform.

"I cannot say that was uncalled for," Ms. Goodwitch said, coming in between Yang and the boy before Ruby's older sister could smash his head in. "But I believe that this began due to your words, Mr. Alistair. I assume you are all equally unhappy with this situation?"

"Like hell-" Yang began, but Ruby came up to her.

"It's alright, we started it," Ruby said.

"No we didn't-"

"Yang, please," Ruby said. Ms. Goodwitch glared at the gathered crowd around the debacle before shaking her head.

"If you have this much energy starting something here," she said, glaring at Weiss, who shrunk under her gaze. "Then I assume you have enough energy to fight a duel."

"A duel?" Ruby asked.

"Same as in Signal," Yang said, actually grinning. Ruby knew why, of course. If she could fight him in a duel, she could just beat him up for what he said and did. "Aura-levels are monitored."

"That's alright," the girl from before said. She had some stylish sunglasses on, looking not too happy with the boy who had shoved Weiss. "We apologize, I didn't have my teammate under control."

"No we don't," the guy that Ms. Goodwitch called Mr. Alistair said, dusting himself off. "If you want a duel, you can have it!"

"Very well," Ms. Goodwitch said. "Fox Alistair, Ruby Rose, please follow me."

"Wait, me?" Ruby said, pointing at herself. "Really?"

"Yes, it was your fault this has happened after all, wasn't it?" Ms. Goodwitch said. Despite the words, Ms. Goodwitch looked a bit too happy as she said it, almost as if she expected something like this to happen. "Then you can fight it out with Mr. Alistair."

"Even better," Fox said, crossing his arms. Yang didn't look that happy, but Weiss moved forward first.

"He ruined my clothes, let me take care of this punk-"

"Weiss." Ruby's voice was filled with resolution, her eyebrows furrowed. This was her chance to show him that his words were wrong. That's why Ms. Goodwitch did this. "I'll do it."

Fox looked a bit more unnerved when he met her eyes this time. She could take him. Probably. And even if she couldn't, she just had to prove she can fight well enough. That's what her Uncle Qrow taught her for, after all. To fight.

* * *

The arenas were rather big, and the crowd of the cafeteria filled the entire place due to all of them following right after the suggestion to duel it out. Even Ozpin was there, standing nearby and watching the entire situation.

Some were even recording it. She gripped Crescent Rose tightly, glaring at the boy who had some strange gloves with blades around his arms.

"The duel stops the moment we tell you it does," Ms. Goodwitch said. "Not following the standard procedures will see you expelled, is this clear?"

Ruby wanted to ask how she could be expelled when she wasn't an official student yet, but decided against it. She nodded, as did Fox.

"Very well then," she stepped out of the ring, giving both of them a nod as two bars appeared on a screen above them. "Begin."

Ruby waited for him to make the first move. She had the range advantage, even in close combat, so she expected him to fire bullets first. It didn't take long for him to do just that, firing towards her in a similar fashion of Yang.

She dodged out of the way, rushing forward while he was wide open and slamming the hilt of Crescent Rose into his stomach. He keeled over, stepping backwards before attacking again, the blades on his gauntlets smashing against the hilt of her weapon.

It pushed her back. He was physically a lot stronger than would be expected of someone of his stature, but that was alright. So was she.

She pushed back, her feet digging into the floor and making his eyes widen when she could match him. When he pushed back again, she jumped back, letting him fall towards the ground. He used his hands to flip, jumping over her before she could slash at him with the scythe and shooting again, hitting her.

Her aura slightly declined, but she couldn't stop there. Taking lessons from Qrow's style, she let herself fall forward and used a bullet to spin her around, catching Fox while he was still in the air. Due to the way she moved, however, she couldn't aim the blade and instead hit his body with the hilt again.

This caught him, and she fired, driving the blade into him as she moved it towards her. He punched her in the face.

She rolled backwards, her grip tightening as she was afraid to lose the weapon.

Both of them stood up again, and Fox looked way more tired than Ruby felt.

"... I admit," he said, grinning. "I was wrong. I apologize for that."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said. "Let's finish this!"

She had a huge advantage. The hit he gave her barely sent her to half of her aura, while he was almost at the end. But for his sake, she wouldn't hold back.

They rushed at each other, and Ruby went to her knees, sliding under his feet as he threw another punch, expecting her to meet him head on. He was knocked over, but this time when he tried to use his hands to roll up again, she transformed Crescent Rose into the rifle and fired at him.

His aura hit zero before he hit the floor, making him cough and moan as his back hit the ground.

The crowd began to cheer loudly.

"WHOOOOO! You go, girl!" Yang shouted. "That's my sister! Take that, asshole!"

Ruby sighed in relief, and in disappointment. It wasn't as close as she thought it would be, but it was a victory. She stepped forward, giving him her hand to get up. "Good fight."

"... sorry." He said again, passing out. The fall must have hit him harder than she thought.

"The winner is Ruby Rose," Ms. Goodwitch said. "I see Qrow trained you well, Ms. Rose."

Ruby smiled widely. He did.

* * *

Yang was carrying Ruby on her shoulders. Apparently this did more than enough to disprove the tabloid rumors and the nervous stares and mutterings turned into wide smiles and greetings wherever she went. It was rather hypocritical, but Ruby didn't care. At least they didn't throw any malevolence into her direction anymore.

Still, it wasn't like the entire debacle before the duel had done much to leave Beacon as such an ideal place in her mind. She loved the school, and the uniform was still the absolute coolest thing she had ever on! But that didn't mean she liked anyone besides Yang's circle of friends enough.


End file.
